Post by Commissioner on Nov 20, 2013 17:25:53 GMT -5
Here are known Letters of Intent picked up by Horizon teams during the early signing period this week.
Detroit
1. Aaron Foster Smith, 6-7 F, Taylor, Mich. Michigan's top prep guru, Steve Bell (www.bankhoops.com) rates Foster-Smith the #6 recruit in Michigan's Class of 2014, with other services ranking him 4th to 7th. Foster-Smith averaged 21.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game during the 2012-13 season, and was a third team All-State selection. Foster-Smith is a good sized small forward who can play down low and also hit the three. He had offers from several MAC schools and also Rhode Island and other mid-majors, with interest from some Big East and Big 10 schools, most notably Iowa.
2. Jaleel Hogan, 6-7 PF, Mount Pleasant, Mich. Bell puts Hogan 5th in his Michigan Class of '14, and the highest rated player to stay in state. Hogan is a big (240 lb.) back to the basket player. Bell moved Hogan rapidly up his prospect list based on summer AAU ball, in which he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds with HoopGrind, one of the top area teams. As a junior last year, Hogan averaged 14.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Hogan held a great deal of mid-major interest after his junior year, with BCS schools just starting to take note based on his summer play in AAU ball. He chose Detroit over his other early finalist, Kent State.
Cleveland State
1. Terrell Hales, 6-3 PG, Detroit. Hales was ranked #17 in Michigan's Class of '14 by Steve Bell. Hales averaged 11 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game as a junior, and is reputed to be one of the best defensive guards in the state. Hales is variously listed as being between 6-2 and 6-4 -- so I've gone with 6-3.
2. Jonathan Janssen, 6-9 SF, Australia. CSU reportedly received a commitment from Janssen on Tuesday night - not clear if he signed an LOI today. Janssen is prepping at Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore. It is expected that he will actually enroll at CSU in January.
Green Bay
1. Khalil Small, 6-2 SG, Chicago. Small is one of those players with a forward's skill set in a guard's body. As a result, the Illinois All-Stater didn't receive the type of offers his high school numbers and accolades (two-time first team all-state) would have suggested. He decided to take a prep year and is in Florida. As a HS senior, he averaged 18 points at Providence-St. Mel's in Chicago. If Wardle can figure out a way to use him effectively, this could be a steal.
2. Daeshon Francis, 6-3 G, Indianapolis. Averaged 13 ppg as a junior. His other offers were generally at the Summit League level or below.
Milwaukee
1. Brock Stull, 6-4 SG, Caledonia, Ill. With 4 redshirts waiting in the wings, Milwaukee didn't have many scholarships to offer in 2014. Reputedly a top three point shooter, Stull averaged 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. His other reported offers were Albany, South Dakota State, and SIU-Edwardsville.
Oakland (Updated 11/30/13)
1. Femi Olujobi, 6-8 PF, Brentwood, NY. Averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds last season and was 2nd team All Long Island. Has back to the basket moves but probably will play the #3 in college. Oakland is passing him off as 6-8 but Long Island sources list him at anywhere from 6-4 to 6-6. It's tough to tell what Oakland got here. Olujobi has been a very productive high school player but he didn't get much recruiting action because a) as noted, he played the 4 in HS and will probably be a 3 in college; and b) he missed the summer AAU season with an injury. I like guys who produce results over guys with "potential," and Olujobi has produced. But the pessimist might say he looks a lot like Lloyd Neely.
2. Collin Weaver, 6-3 G, Phoenix, AZ. Averaged 20.4 points as high school senior in 2012. He then went to Scottsdale CC (team nickname: The Fighting Artichokes. Honest.), but was red-shirted (a juco redshirting a guy? True.). This year he's ended up at Westwind Prep School. Weaver is a low major prospect who likes to push the ball, and can pull up and shoot from deep. Oakland's got to hope he's a another Travis Bader, who was also a lightly recruited player.
UIC
1. Tai Odiase, 6-9 PF, Chicago. Odiase is a bit rough but UIC has high expectations for the big guy from Chicago, who chose UIC over Valpo, Ball State, and Kent State, among other mid-majors. Odiase averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds last year, and is known for his shot-blocking ability. ESPN ranks him the 24th best prospect in Illinois.
2. Grant Sims, 6-3 G, Bloomington, IN. Sims averaged 14 points, six rebounds and three assists as a junior, and was honorable mention All-State. His other offers were lower majors.
Valparaiso
1. Max Joseph, 6-1 G, Montreal, Canada. Valpo did the unusual, signing intact a high school backcourt from Canada's Vanier Prep. Joseph is rated the 22nd best player in Canada's class of 2014 by North Pole Hoops.
2. Tevonn Walker, 6-1 G, Montreal Canada. Averaged 16.4 points as a junior, and is ranked #10 in Canada's Class of '14 by North Pole Hoops. Both of these guards seemed to be off the radar of U.S. teams, even low majors, so we'll have to see if Valpo got a steal, or got robbed.
Wright State
1. Grant Evans, 6-3 SG, Selma, Indiana. Scout gives Evans a 3 star rating, and at one point schools such as Michigan, Indiana, and Butler were looking at him, but Evans' stock fell after a so-so junior year and he chose WSU over offers from Gardner-Webb and IUPUI.
2. Grant Benzinger, 6-4 SG, Cincinnati. Benzinger had a bunch of low-major offers - Elon, Wofford, Radford, etc.
3. Justin Mitchell, 6-4 PG, Fort Wayne. Considered the top player in the Fort Wayne area, had some good MAC offers, such as Ball State and Western Michigan.
4. Roderick Davis, 6-8 PF, Tampa Bay, FL. Averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks as a junior. Davis had some solid mid-major offers such as Tulane, Florida Atlantic, James Madison and Rice, and was drawing interest from some BCS schools. Bigs who sign with mid-majors usually have flaws, and Davis does, but he looks like a pretty good signing for WSU.
5. Joe Thomasson, 6-3 SG, Dayton (State Fair CC, Kansas). This is potentially a big pick up - Thomasson had previously verballed to Oklahoma State and also had strong interest from Missouri. He originally signed with WSU out of HS in 2012 but did not qualify and Billy Donovan stashed him at little known State Fair, whose coach is an old Donovan friend. As a freshman at State Fair he averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 40.9% on 3PFG. He finishes off a very nice class for WSU.
Youngstown State
1. Ja'Christian Biles, 6-2 G, Oak Park, MI. Ranked #13 in Michigan by Bell.
2. Bryce Nickels, 6-8 C, Tampa. Averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as a junior. Nickels' weight is variously reported at 190 to 210 lbs. Even at the top end, YSU needs to start feeding him lots of steaks and such. But he is good, and had offers from Georgia Tech, George Mason and others.
3. Sidney Umude, 6-7 F, Fort Lauderdale. Coach Slocum keeps his Florida thing going (Kendrick Perry, Bobby Hain) with Umide, ranked #33 in the state by Florida Hoops. He averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds as a junior. YSU has been getting better recruits of late, and this is a very solid class.
Detroit
1. Aaron Foster Smith, 6-7 F, Taylor, Mich. Michigan's top prep guru, Steve Bell (www.bankhoops.com) rates Foster-Smith the #6 recruit in Michigan's Class of 2014, with other services ranking him 4th to 7th. Foster-Smith averaged 21.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game during the 2012-13 season, and was a third team All-State selection. Foster-Smith is a good sized small forward who can play down low and also hit the three. He had offers from several MAC schools and also Rhode Island and other mid-majors, with interest from some Big East and Big 10 schools, most notably Iowa.
2. Jaleel Hogan, 6-7 PF, Mount Pleasant, Mich. Bell puts Hogan 5th in his Michigan Class of '14, and the highest rated player to stay in state. Hogan is a big (240 lb.) back to the basket player. Bell moved Hogan rapidly up his prospect list based on summer AAU ball, in which he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds with HoopGrind, one of the top area teams. As a junior last year, Hogan averaged 14.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Hogan held a great deal of mid-major interest after his junior year, with BCS schools just starting to take note based on his summer play in AAU ball. He chose Detroit over his other early finalist, Kent State.
Cleveland State
1. Terrell Hales, 6-3 PG, Detroit. Hales was ranked #17 in Michigan's Class of '14 by Steve Bell. Hales averaged 11 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game as a junior, and is reputed to be one of the best defensive guards in the state. Hales is variously listed as being between 6-2 and 6-4 -- so I've gone with 6-3.
2. Jonathan Janssen, 6-9 SF, Australia. CSU reportedly received a commitment from Janssen on Tuesday night - not clear if he signed an LOI today. Janssen is prepping at Mt. Zion Prep in Baltimore. It is expected that he will actually enroll at CSU in January.
Green Bay
1. Khalil Small, 6-2 SG, Chicago. Small is one of those players with a forward's skill set in a guard's body. As a result, the Illinois All-Stater didn't receive the type of offers his high school numbers and accolades (two-time first team all-state) would have suggested. He decided to take a prep year and is in Florida. As a HS senior, he averaged 18 points at Providence-St. Mel's in Chicago. If Wardle can figure out a way to use him effectively, this could be a steal.
2. Daeshon Francis, 6-3 G, Indianapolis. Averaged 13 ppg as a junior. His other offers were generally at the Summit League level or below.
Milwaukee
1. Brock Stull, 6-4 SG, Caledonia, Ill. With 4 redshirts waiting in the wings, Milwaukee didn't have many scholarships to offer in 2014. Reputedly a top three point shooter, Stull averaged 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. His other reported offers were Albany, South Dakota State, and SIU-Edwardsville.
Oakland (Updated 11/30/13)
1. Femi Olujobi, 6-8 PF, Brentwood, NY. Averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds last season and was 2nd team All Long Island. Has back to the basket moves but probably will play the #3 in college. Oakland is passing him off as 6-8 but Long Island sources list him at anywhere from 6-4 to 6-6. It's tough to tell what Oakland got here. Olujobi has been a very productive high school player but he didn't get much recruiting action because a) as noted, he played the 4 in HS and will probably be a 3 in college; and b) he missed the summer AAU season with an injury. I like guys who produce results over guys with "potential," and Olujobi has produced. But the pessimist might say he looks a lot like Lloyd Neely.
2. Collin Weaver, 6-3 G, Phoenix, AZ. Averaged 20.4 points as high school senior in 2012. He then went to Scottsdale CC (team nickname: The Fighting Artichokes. Honest.), but was red-shirted (a juco redshirting a guy? True.). This year he's ended up at Westwind Prep School. Weaver is a low major prospect who likes to push the ball, and can pull up and shoot from deep. Oakland's got to hope he's a another Travis Bader, who was also a lightly recruited player.
UIC
1. Tai Odiase, 6-9 PF, Chicago. Odiase is a bit rough but UIC has high expectations for the big guy from Chicago, who chose UIC over Valpo, Ball State, and Kent State, among other mid-majors. Odiase averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds last year, and is known for his shot-blocking ability. ESPN ranks him the 24th best prospect in Illinois.
2. Grant Sims, 6-3 G, Bloomington, IN. Sims averaged 14 points, six rebounds and three assists as a junior, and was honorable mention All-State. His other offers were lower majors.
Valparaiso
1. Max Joseph, 6-1 G, Montreal, Canada. Valpo did the unusual, signing intact a high school backcourt from Canada's Vanier Prep. Joseph is rated the 22nd best player in Canada's class of 2014 by North Pole Hoops.
2. Tevonn Walker, 6-1 G, Montreal Canada. Averaged 16.4 points as a junior, and is ranked #10 in Canada's Class of '14 by North Pole Hoops. Both of these guards seemed to be off the radar of U.S. teams, even low majors, so we'll have to see if Valpo got a steal, or got robbed.
Wright State
1. Grant Evans, 6-3 SG, Selma, Indiana. Scout gives Evans a 3 star rating, and at one point schools such as Michigan, Indiana, and Butler were looking at him, but Evans' stock fell after a so-so junior year and he chose WSU over offers from Gardner-Webb and IUPUI.
2. Grant Benzinger, 6-4 SG, Cincinnati. Benzinger had a bunch of low-major offers - Elon, Wofford, Radford, etc.
3. Justin Mitchell, 6-4 PG, Fort Wayne. Considered the top player in the Fort Wayne area, had some good MAC offers, such as Ball State and Western Michigan.
4. Roderick Davis, 6-8 PF, Tampa Bay, FL. Averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks as a junior. Davis had some solid mid-major offers such as Tulane, Florida Atlantic, James Madison and Rice, and was drawing interest from some BCS schools. Bigs who sign with mid-majors usually have flaws, and Davis does, but he looks like a pretty good signing for WSU.
5. Joe Thomasson, 6-3 SG, Dayton (State Fair CC, Kansas). This is potentially a big pick up - Thomasson had previously verballed to Oklahoma State and also had strong interest from Missouri. He originally signed with WSU out of HS in 2012 but did not qualify and Billy Donovan stashed him at little known State Fair, whose coach is an old Donovan friend. As a freshman at State Fair he averaged 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists while shooting 40.9% on 3PFG. He finishes off a very nice class for WSU.
Youngstown State
1. Ja'Christian Biles, 6-2 G, Oak Park, MI. Ranked #13 in Michigan by Bell.
2. Bryce Nickels, 6-8 C, Tampa. Averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as a junior. Nickels' weight is variously reported at 190 to 210 lbs. Even at the top end, YSU needs to start feeding him lots of steaks and such. But he is good, and had offers from Georgia Tech, George Mason and others.
3. Sidney Umude, 6-7 F, Fort Lauderdale. Coach Slocum keeps his Florida thing going (Kendrick Perry, Bobby Hain) with Umide, ranked #33 in the state by Florida Hoops. He averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds as a junior. YSU has been getting better recruits of late, and this is a very solid class.